Pokemon: The Psychic Wars
by pikagurl23
Summary: The world is dark, fresh with the scents of death and destruction. The Psychic Wars have begun and the League fights back to reclaim its land and restore hope to the people of Kanto. One person stands up to join the fight and make a difference in a world where all seems lost.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon!

A/N: So this will be my first chaptered fic since I've been back and it's something I've been wanting to do for a really long time now. This will be my first official dark/AU fic! And because of this, here are a few warnings about reading this bad boy. There may be: **violence, gore, adult language (might have some F-bombs), sexual situations, and adult-like situations.** Consider yourselves warned and please don't flame me for any of the warnings above; only constructive criticism and praise welcome :) And yes, I know this is an extremely short, non-existent chapter but please bear with me as I felt it was necessary to set the precedent. With that said, enjoy!

**Pokemon: The Psychic Wars**

**Prologue**

These were dark times.

Gone were the days of pokemon training, where innocent youngsters collected pokemon and aspired to train them to eventually reach master status. Gone were the days where it was considered safe to travel on your own, venturing off to the many distant regions to battle gym leaders, enter competitions, and make a name for yourself. These were darker times, dangerous times, where you needed to think twice before leaving the sanctity of your home or else pay the consequences which, more often than not, included your life.

There was a time when every young boy or girl turned the tender age of ten where they would receive their pokemon license, their starter pokemon, and that region's pokedex, mere stepping stones on their way to becoming the ultimate pokemon masters. But no longer was this the case…instead, you were automatically entered into the regime, where, rather than take up pokemon training, you would take up arms, you would learn to kill, to protect, to survive…

The pokemon that were once seen as battling partners to obtain gym badges and battle other pokemon, were now used to battle people, yet another tool for war, another way to kill…

But by far the worst were the psychic pokemon, for they held the power to control others, to destroy, to betray, to torture…all led by their sadistic leader, the green haired, purple eyed monster known only as Sabrina.

She held total control over the psychic pokemon, teaching those loyal to her cause how to become psychic themselves with her primary goal being to rid the world of all people and pokemon deemed unworthy to live in her new utopia…a world of darkness, terror, and death, where she would rule supreme and all those opposed to her would die a painful, torturous death.

Gym leaders and the Elite Four rebelled against this new threat, armies were formed, ranks were defined, and secret bases were built, if only to give the people hope…a hope that someday the sun would shine on their world again.

Top trainers and warriors were deemed Masters and were the authority over the younger, inexperienced novices. They went on covert operations, dangerous missions, and led forces across the lands to disperse the evils Sabrina had set forth. They used their trusted pokemon to fight the psychic threat, to save the innocents, and reclaim whatever hope the people had left.

Sabrina had left many of the region's cities in smoldering ruins, the corpses of the people strewn about in bloodied heaps across the battle fields. She had destroyed the gyms, once symbols of great power and respect, now nothing more than rubble and broken dreams. She had offered the gym leaders that hadn't yet rebelled a choice to join her ranks and turn against the League and promised them unparalleled power and glory in her new world…but many refused and so she tortured them until their screams and wails for mercy filled the halls of her headquarters.

Sabrina declared war against the League and vowed to change the world in what would forever be known as the Psychic Wars.

_To be continued…_

A/N: I know, I know, super short right? No fear, I have already pretty much laid out chapter 1 and will be posting within the next week or 2 after I've cleaned it up a bit. So please leave me a nice little review down at the bottom (it would make me uber happy). Thanks and keep you all posted!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't Own Pokemon!

A/N: So basically these next 2 chapters will be intro for most of the main characters in this fic as well as helping to set the precedent and give you all a better idea of the type of place they are living in. Thanks for the lovely reviews from the prologue and hope you all enjoy!

**Pokemon: The Psychic Wars**

**Chapter 1**

The skies were eerily dark for the time of day.

Purple clouds filled the dark skies, blocking the sun's rays from spilling its glory upon the region. Smoke was a constant site over the Kanto skyline as it filtered up into the clouds, giving the sky an evil, foreboding look. The smells of destruction and death were a constant reminder of the times they now lived in and of years gone by where the regions had once been safe and prosperous.

The metallic smell of blood wafted over to the noses of 28 year old Ash Ketchum and 29 year old Brock Slate, each perched on separate tree branches, overlooking the wasteland that was once Pewter City.

"My home…"

Brock's eyes scanned the ruins of his once illustrious hometown, flames licking the smoldering buildings and blood smeared across the streets of the town Brock had once called home. Rubble littered the streets and the rocks that had once made up his proud gym had been reduced to smoldering ash. The remaining psychic energy sparked angrily around the landscape, sounding like the violent cracking of a whip mixed with the electricity of a thunder storm.

Wordlessly, Ash jumped out of his perch in the tree, his black cape swirling in the unseen wind, snapping furiously behind him. His hood was up, his own brown eyes lost within the folds of his cloak as he solemnly walked towards the city without a word to his friend.

Brock sighed, lowering his hood and jumping for the ground, his own cloak billowing behind him, as he made to follow his friend into the destruction that was his hometown.

Ash was already sorting his way through the rubble when Brock caught up with him.

"It's weird, being back here again, I mean. I knew this would happen sooner or later, but you always have this image of your home of how it always should be…of how it should've been," Brock's eyes shifted to the scene around him and couldn't believe that he had once called this place home. His words, however, were met with silence as he watched as Ash continued to sift through some debris near what had once been the pokemon center.

Kneeling down beside him, Brock saw what had caught Ash's attention.

He was a little boy, no older than nine, eyes open, but unseeing, mouth slightly agape with unheard screams, and a bloody gash across his neck that had left him partially decapitated. His eyes were a deep brown, with a mop of messy blonde hair stained with sticky, red blood atop his head. His clothes were ripped and he had a cracked pokeball lying in his limp hand, giving the impression that he had at least fought his attackers. It only caused Ash's blood to boil further.

Silently, Ash began to dig a hole with his hands, scooping the reddened dirt into a pile beside the boy's body.

He shouldn't have to do this; he shouldn't have had to be the one to bury this boy. He was young, too young. No one should have died this way; it wasn't supposed to be like this. Life was supposed to be worth living, it was supposed to be full of adventure and excitement, not fear and death. This wasn't how Ash wanted to remember the town in which he had won his first league badge.

"Here," Brock had come beside Ash and handed him a shovel he had found among the rubble and soundlessly, the two boys set to work digging the shallow grave.

Brock sighed aloud again as he continued to shovel the dirt aside, silently thanking his lucky stars that he didn't know the boy, but immediately feeling guilty afterwards. He didn't know the boy…his name would be lost to the ages, they knew nothing of his family background, of his true age, if he had any friends, if he attended school, what his interests were…or who the boy truly was. It saddened Brock to know that one so young had died, possibly in defense of his own hometown. The thought only deepened Brock's guilt. _He_ had been Pewter's gym leader, _he_ should have protected them, _he _should have – he should have done _something, anything_!

And a chilling thought entered Brock's mind…the killings, they would _never_ end…not while Sabrina was alive.

The sound of metal striking dirt brought Brock back to the present and he shook his head of the thoughts. He watched as Ash cradled the young boy in his arms and closed his eyes, almost to look as if he were sleeping. Then, with his hand hovering just above the boy's severed neck, a light purple glow emanated from Ash's hand. The light entered the boy's neck and seemingly stitched the wound, though it wouldn't save him, unfortunately, he was beyond the realm of saving.

When the Psychic Wars had first started ten years ago, Brock and Ash had been recruited by the Elite Four to help lead and gather troops against Sabrina's forces. During their time in training, they had endured relentless weapons training, physical training, and pokemon training, though not the type of training they had experienced as kids. Instead, the pokemon were used in missions against Sabrina's forces, primarily involving reconnaissance and battling the psychic threats that continuously threatened the league's operations.

Psychic training was also a mainstay of the league's operations, for in order to defeat Sabrina, they needed to understand her powers and fight fire with fire. Both Ash and Brock had undergone intense psychic training, teaching their bodies to accept the psychic energies and, in turn, learning to release and control that power. Their teachers came in the forms of recruited psychic, dark, and ghost type pokemon, both wild and trained, and, though Brock understood the power and the arts involved in becoming a psychic himself, he could never achieve a complete balance…not like Ash had.

Ash had always had a deeper understanding of the new powers that invaded his body. He was able to bend and control the energies to his will and mastered psychic attacks almost flawlessly. He, however, refused to use his powers unless absolutely necessary. He had confessed to Brock once several years ago that he did not want to be compared to Sabrina.

At the start of the wars, both Brock and Ash had relocated their families to the league headquarters and had warned their friends of the ticking time bomb that was Sabrina just in time for the war to begin. Gym leaders from across the Kanto region were quickly recruited before Sabrina's influence could reach them, however, there were still a few of them who were unaccounted for…

Koga had seemingly vanished (whether he was dead, had turned to Sabrina's side, or was simply in hiding was unsure), but his daughter Janine had been a steady supporter of the league and was one of its closest allies. Her extensive knowledge on the makings of various poisons had been extremely helpful in eliminating many of Sabrina's forces, even if her own poison type pokemon were weak against psychics. She had made herself useful in other ways.

Lieutenant Surge of the Vermillion City gym had also vanished and was presumed dead under Sabrina's hands. League officials had swept every inch of his gym, now in smoldering ruins, and had found many of his own pokemon slain, including his prized Raichu. Strewn notes addressed to the Elite Four had been scattered across the remains of the gym, the words smeared in blood, stating that the gym leader's demise had come when he had refused to join Sabrina's forces and that his body had disintegrated in psychic energy. The notes also threatened the rebellion, stating that if they did not stand down, they would all suffer a similar fate.

Giovanni of the Viridian City gym and underground mastermind of the once feared organization known as Team Rocket had also disappeared without a trace. Many believed he had gone into hiding, especially after the disbanding of his organization, and would rise again after the wars were over. Even many of the former Team Rocket members, namely Jessie, James, and Meowth, had no clue where their former boss had gone and instead, had opted to join forces with the League's operations and made themselves useful with supplying intel and operation of their high tech equipment (for which they were known to be masters at in Ash's youth) as well as maintaining the dungeons and cells that many of their prisoners, namely spies that had been found snooping around the League's base, were kept.

And then there were Daisy, Lily, and Violet.

The triplets of the Cerulean City gym had been missing since the wars had begun, their gym practically abandoned, their pokemon gone without a trace. Extensive search efforts led by both Brock and Ash had come up empty and the search was forced to be called off. Lance, the leader of the Elite Four, had made the assumption that the sisters were dead, especially after what had happened to Misty…

Just thinking about his blue eyed, red-haired friend caused a frown to form on Brock's face and he knew that, because of what had happened to Misty, Ash would never be the same.

Brock watched in silence as Ash gently lowered the boy's body into the hole, never again to see the light of day. Both boys wordlessly filled the hole and, upon finishing, dug the spades of their shovels into the head of the shallow grave.

Ash and Brock bowed their heads in respect to the little boy that had lost his life.

"It shouldn't be like this."

Brock jumped at his friend's words, not expecting him to speak. It was rare for Ash to speak nowadays, unless he had to, and even when he did, it was always dark and foreboding, nothing like the young, boisterous, ambitious kid he had once travelled with.

"This kid…he should be trying to figure out what his starter pokemon will be…he should be preparing for his pokemon journey, not rotting in a shallow grave," Ash stated, anger laced in his voice. And then, Ash unclipped his cloak and laid it upon the grave, smoothing out the edges almost as if it were a blanket covering a child. Then, he unsheathed the sword that was strapped to his side and, kneeling before the makeshift shrine, dug its tip in front of the shovels.

"She doesn't care who she kills," Brock whispered, though he knew Ash could hear him, "It'll never end, not until she's stopped."

Ash didn't respond and, instead, remained kneeling on the ground in front of the grave, his eyes boring into the little grave, unblinkingly, "What's the point? Innocents will continue to die."

Brock simply nodded and looked skyward at the swirling purple clouds above, "We continue to fight, no matter what," he brought his gaze back down to look at Ash's unmoving form, "It's what Misty would have wanted."

At his words, Brock could see Ash's shoulders shudder and his gaze waver for a fraction of a second. His young features visibility saddened and Brock immediately felt sorry for bringing up such a sore subject.

"Ash, I-"

"Shh! Did you hear that?"

Ash's eyes were already roving around the landscape and Brock followed suit, quickly yet silently un-strapping the daggers attached to the small of his back. Ash was already up, the sword that he kept on his opposite hip drawn and at the ready. The building up ahead and to the right had caught Ash's attention. The roof was caved in and the entrance to what had once been someone's home was half blocked by piles of rubble.

He silently stalked towards the opening, pressed his ear closer to the entrance, and heard a rustling from within, followed by fearful whispers and…crying?

Ash motioned for Brock to follow and the pair easily scaled over the rock piles, weapons drawn until Ash heard the unmistakable sounds of a baby's cries.

"Who's there?" Brock called out, "Please come out, we won't hurt you," he sheathed his daggers back to his back and slowly inched closer to the back of the home, where knocked over tables and chairs were being used as a sort of barricade. Ash, however, kept his sword drawn, eyes continuously sweeping across the tiny house, looking for some sort of ambush or threat.

"P-Please, don't hurt us," an elderly voice stuttered and from behind the tables came an elderly man in his seventies with short hair that was white as snow with a scruffy beard to match. He was thin and appeared to not have eaten in weeks, his clothes were ripped, and he was trembling just at the site of the two young men. His hands were raised in surrender, "Please, we'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt my family."

Brock raised his hands up to show that he meant no harm, "Please sir, we're not here to hurt you. We're with the rebellion…with the league."

A light seemed to spark in the man's dull blue eyes and he grinned in recognition, "Y-You're Master Slate, aren't you?" Brock nodded and the elderly man let out a visible sigh of relief, "Honey, kids, it's okay. You can all come out now, it's Master Slate!"

Out from behind the barricade came an elderly woman, probably the man's wife, with a tiny bundle cradled in her arms, and a boy about five years of age, his hand gripping the woman's dress in fear. The older woman had her long white hair in a braid down her back and, like the man, seemed very thin as well. The bundle she held in her arms, the source of the crying, was cooing contentedly.

"Oh, thank goodness," she exhaled, "We thought you were with Sabrina's forces. She and her assassin came tearing through the town this morning, destroying everything in sight," she refocused her gaze to the baby in her arms and the young boy beside her, "These are our grandchildren…their parents were killed in the attacks, killed by Sabrina. We're all they have left," and the elderly lady began to tear up as she continued to rock the baby.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Brock offered. They had all lost loved ones to this war, all of them senseless deaths, and all of them at the hands of Sabrina and her mysterious assassin, a trained killer that was known to be by Sabrina's side at all times. Little was known about the killer, except only that he rarely left people alive, "We're here to help. We'll take you back to headquarters; there are plenty of dorms still available."

"Oh, thank you so much Master Slate," thanked the elderly man, grasping Brock's hands within his own and giving them a solid shake, "We owe you our lives."

Brock nodded and smiled at the elderly couple.

"We should be going, it's getting dark and we don't want to be wandering around in the dark," spoke Ash, who was peering out of the windows of the home, sword still drawn.

"He's right, we need to go," Brock said, picking up the young boy and leading the way out of the house. The elderly woman followed, with her husband not far behind, however, he stopped in front of Ash and placed a hand on his forearm.

"You're Master Ketchum," it was more of statement than a question and he didn't wait for a response before continuing, "Thank you son, for everything you've done for the league, for this rebellion."

If Ash was surprised by the older man's comments, he didn't let it show. Instead, he simply nodded and repeated, "We need to go."

"Ash! You need to get out here!"

At the urgency in Brock's voice, Ash slipped by the elderly man and ran outside, blade raised for battle. Brock was standing in front of the family, a protective arm shielding them. The pokemon that had raised the alarms was snarling ferociously at them, the golden circles around its ears, tail, and on its forehead and legs glowed fiercely as its fur bristled in anticipation.

"An Umbreon, you think it's one of Sabrina's?" asked Brock, directing his question to his friend.

"No, she wouldn't waste her time with a dark type, especially since they're strong against her psychic types. It's probably wild, possibly gone mad from the psychic radiation surrounding Pewter," answered Ash, his eyes never leaving the agitated pokemon and silently cursing himself for leaving Pikachu back at base, "Brock, you need to teleport them out of here now."

"Are you crazy?! You _know_ how much I suck at teleporting," responded Brock, his eyes following the circling pokemon as well.

Ash grunted in response. Brock was right. The last time he had tried teleporting 10 feet he had found himself face to face with a naked Master Agatha in the women's locker room. It wasn't a visual Brock was soon to forget nor did he want to repeat.

"We'll have to kill it," was the response, to which Brock nodded, "Get them back in the house."

Brock ushered the family back into the safety of the house, instructed them to barricade the entrance, and rushed back outside to assist his friend. Detaching the polearm that was strapped to his back, Brock slowly circled to the opposite side of the pokemon, surrounding it. Ash had already wielded a second weapon, his dagger that he always kept strapped to his thigh.

The Umbreon, sensing that it was surrounded, growled in madness, its eyes glowing an eerie red.

"Breon!" it attacked, rushing first at Ash and executing a powerful quick attack, to which he narrowly dodged by rolling out of the way. By the time the pokemon had realized it had missed, Ash was already back on his feet. Digging his foot into the ground, Ash spun, flinging his dagger in the direction of the Umbreon, just barely glancing its tail as it performed a dodge.

The Umbreon's tail oozed blood as a result of the dagger's hit. Snarling, it swiveled on its front legs and began to kick up dirt into a powerful sand attack, blinding both boys from seeing one another as well as their adversary.

Ash covered his face with his arm, shielding his eyes from the sand that threatened to blind him. He could no longer see Brock or the Umbreon and was about to call out until he heard an audible scream.

_Brock!_

Ash was off, running head first into the sand storm, listening for signs of a struggle. He heard a violent scraping noise to his right and launched himself in that direction. Several meters away, Umbreon had Brock pinned to the ground snapping ferociously at his face, the only thing standing between them being Brock's polearm.

Ash immediately jumped into action, pulling the Umbreon by the scruff of his neck and throwing it into the air, receiving a surprised '_Umbreon!' _in response. Without missing a beat and before the pokemon could retaliate, Ash followed the Umbreon's path in the air and made a slashing arc with his sword, resolutely separating the Umbreon's head from its body.

Sticky red blood rained down upon the two boys for several beats before the two sections hit the earth with a thud, the head rolling away leaving a bloody trail in its wake.

Sheathing his sword, Ash turned to Brock and offered him a hand up, "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," answered Brock, taking his friend's hand and dusting himself off, "Just a few scratches; that thing came out of nowhere."

Ash nodded, staring at the severed head as Brock reattached his polearm to his back.

"Coast is clear, you all can come out now," called Brock as the elderly couple and young boy stepped carefully from their home.

The elderly woman buried the young boy's head within the folds of her dress, saving him the horrors of looking upon the decapitated pokemon. The elderly man only looked at it with pity.

"It appears you've saved us again. We can't thank you enough," he smiled, bowing to the two of them.

"Don't mention it, but we should really get going," Brock responded as Ash picked up his discarded dagger, wiped the blood on the ground, and reattached it into its holster on his thigh.

He walked back over to the group, not giving the severed pokemon another look, and teleported them back to base.

* * *

Brock never liked the sensation of teleporting and it was only evidenced by the pounding sensation in his head and the feeling of spinning that made his stomach do flip flops. And after what seemed like forever, the sensation stopped, leaving him only slightly breathless and a little dizzy. Opening his eyes, he looked around and noticed that the family he and Ash had rescued were also feeling the side effects of Ash's teleport ability.

"The effects will pass," came Ash's raspy voice to the unasked question.

The group was standing in a darkened cave, the only light source being from the mouth of the cave where a waterfall could be seen rushing overhead, sealing the entrance from view. What was seemingly a dead end, was actually a fake rock wall and secret entrance leading into league headquarters.

"Where are we?" asked the elderly man, scanning his new surroundings in awe.

"At a secret entrance on the other side of Victory Road. Only league officials know it's here," answered Brock as Ash unsheathed his sword once more and made a series of tapping sounds, scraping the tip of the sword against the rock face, "There's a psychic barrier in place that prevents anyone from teleporting into or out of the base."

Out of the rock wall came a hand pad, to which Ash placed his own palm against. A series of beeping sounds resounded and several lights flashed. An electronic voice spoke, "Welcome back, Master Ashton Ketchum."

The rock wall separated at once, making a grating noise as it did so. Ash entered the base without a word, the group following him in silence.

White tiles lined the clean floors with white walls to match, while various framed photographs and artifacts lining the immaculate hallways. Unmarked doors on either side lined the corridors, with varying pathways leading off into different directions, making the base seem like an endless maze of doors, paths, and walls.

Ash stopped at a fork in the corridor, where the hallway split into 3 different directions.

"Brock, why don't you show them to their rooms and then direct them to the cafeteria," instructed Ash, not turning around.

Brock nodded, but before he could lead the elderly couple and children to their new homes, they continued to thank Ash profusely for his help and for saving them from certain death. Ash could only nod, until the little boy, who had been all but quiet, tugged on Ash's sleeve.

Ash looked down into the little boy's eyes and saw what appeared to be fear mixed with an incredible strength that he never knew one so young could impart. It caused Ash's hard gaze to soften slightly as the boy seemed like he wanted to say something.

"Sir, I wanna fight for the league and save people and stuff…when I grow up, I wanna be just like you."

Ash's gaze faltered at the boy's words and he immediately felt a rush of emotions he hadn't felt in a long time, assaulting his mind and making him remember that innocents looked up to them. They were scared, they weren't sure what each new day would hold…and it saddened Ash to see this little boy looking up to him in awe, when he was nothing more than a fighter, a killer.

Since when had they become more comfortable handling weapons than pokeballs? When had they changed into seasoned warriors? When had they made the transition from innocent teens to hardened killers?

"Come on Phillip, let's leave Master Ketchum alone. I'm sure he's very busy," smiled the elderly man, shuffling his grandson away and throwing another silent thanks Ash's way.

Ash watched their retreating forms down the long hallway, listening to their aimless chatter as their forms got smaller and smaller.

And then he was left alone with nothing but the silence and his thoughts as his only companions. Their footsteps had long since ceased, but Ash continued to stare in their direction, glued to his spot, unable to move.

He just couldn't get those words out of his head. That little boy, who should know nothing about this new world they lived in, but was experiencing it first hand, had wanted to fight. At such a young age, no child should be subjected to such violence, such fear…such death. It just wasn't right, nor was it how it should've been.

_When I grow up, I wanna be just like you._

'_No kid, you don't.'_

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon!

A/N: Okay, so first off just wanted to say that I understand if some of you may be offended at the plot or simply just dislike the overplayed idea of Sabrina being evil or psychics being overpowered and whatnot, but it's completely new to me so deal with it. If you don't like evil Sabrina, then please don't read cause you definitely won't enjoy this fic. With that said, enjoy!

**Pokemon: The Psychic Wars**

**Chapter 2**

The picture glared furiously back at him, taunting him, making him remember, forcing him to regret…

Ash sat on his bed in his personal dorm, clothes changed with Pikachu seated at his side, rubbing his cheek affectionately along Ash's leg.

The picture, one that had been taken nearly 10 years prior, was one of the last ones he had of her. It was his only possession connecting her to him, but it broke his heart every time he forced himself to glance at it.

Misty was standing in the forefront of the picture, her arm wrapped casually around Ash's waist as Ash had been caught in mid action, placing a gentle kiss on her temple, his own arm wrapped lovingly around her shoulders. The photo had been taken by Brock as they had stopped in a seaside town to rest, just a few hours before she had been ripped out of his grasp and Ash had been left with his guilt, knowing that it was his fault she was gone.

He gently ran his thumb across her features, remembering every aspect of her face, where the dimples creased when she smiled, how she always smelled of fresh cut flowers…it was as if it had happened only yesterday.

Closing his eyes, he gripped the framed photo closer to his chest.

He remembered the seas as they rocked their ship…

He could smell the salt in the air…

He could see Sabrina as she assaulted them onboard…

He could see the explosion…

_*Knock Knock*_

Ash jumped at the sudden sound, causing Pikachu to squeak in indignation at the sudden noise.

"Ash, it's me. Let me in."

Ash sighed, not really wanting to entertain any guests, but knew that talking within the comforts of his own room was better than in front of the whole Elite Four and the gym leaders.

Placing the photo on his bed, he stood up and opened the door to see Gary Oak's smiling face staring back at him. Before words could be spoken, Gary let himself in, to which Ash only rolled his eyes before closing the door after him.

Gary was, quite frankly, Ash's saving grace. He was the only one he felt he could talk to anymore, even more so than Brock, which was saying something considering how much Brock and Ash had gone through together. Sure, Ash still considered Brock a close friend, almost a brother, but it just hadn't been the same since Misty was gone. Ash could always feel Brock's sympathetic gaze on him when he thought he wasn't looking and it made Ash feel fragile, almost like Brock thought he was going to just break.

And Ash hated it.

But in Brock's defense, he only did it because he cared. He had wanted Ash to open up to him, to talk to him like they used to back in their pokemon training days, to give him some kind of implication that Ash still valued his advice, but Ash was different now, changed. He never said more than a few necessary words to his friend and even Ash wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because Brock reminded him too much of his past…reminded him too much of Misty.

But Gary, he never felt obligated to hold his words in check and he never felt wary when speaking to Ash like Brock oftentimes did. He was always blunt, to the point, and had no qualms about telling Ash what he truly felt, especially when he was in one of his moods.

"I heard what happened in Pewter," he started, leaving no room for trivial conversation, "And about the family you and Brock saved."

"Yeah, well we couldn't just leave them there, especially with that wild Umbreon on the loose," Ash explained, leaning his back against the door as Gary walked to Ash's kitchenette and helped himself to two glasses, some ice, and some whiskey Ash always kept when he needed to unwind.

"I know, I should've gone with you," Gary said regretfully, pouring the amber liquid into the two glasses, pouring just slightly more for himself, "Lance has had me practically glued to his side all week. I feel like a caged animal."

Gary was Master Lance's personal assistant, first hand man, and led the reconnaissance missions against Sabrina's army. Though he had often been very brash in his youth, Gary had learned much while under Lance's wing and had become a master in his own right, earning respect and adoration from many of the younger trainers.

His world renowned grandfather, Professor Samuel Oak had also joined the rebellion, not long after both Pallet and his precious lab had been destroyed. His research, which currently focused on repressing the psychic abilities of both people and pokemon, had been both ground breaking and extremely helpful in quelling Sabrina's psychic forces as they continually assaulted the league's forces and the region.

Professor Oak's latest invention, one that he had created with the help of both Tracey and Max, was a band that absorbed the psychic energies of the wearer and rendered their powers completely and utterly useless. The trio had done numerous studies on the effects of ghost pokemon and their powers on the weaker psychic types and had found a way to intertwine the effects of a ghost pokemon's strengths within the band.

Ash and Gary had tested the bands first hand and it not only had worked, but worked flawlessly.

'_Gramps, these things are incredible!' exclaimed Gary, examining the band that was strapped to his wrist and continually trying to exact an attack on the test dummy in front of him, 'They actually _work_!'_

'_Well of course they do!' the Professor sounded insulted at his grandson's surprise and pointed his cane in Gary's direction, 'Those little bands are full proof, no matter how much psychic energy the wearer has. Sabrina herself couldn't bend a spoon if that thing were attached to her scrawny little wrist.'_

'_But that's just the thing,' Ash commented, grabbing the attention of the Professor, Tracey, Max, and Gary, 'We need to actually get the thing on her in order for it to work. I doubt she'll stand still long enough for us to attach it to her.'_

_Gary simply shrugged, as if this little bit of information didn't faze him in the least, 'It's jewelry. All girls like jewelry, right?'_

Ash shook his head of the memory as Gary walked over to his childhood friend and handed him a glass. Both boys clinked glasses.

"What are we toasting?" he asked, as Ash merely averted his gaze and looked out his window, one that looked down on the gym where all the recruits (new and veteran) trained, "And why do you look so down? You saved a family's life for god's sake!"

And it was then that Gary noticed the framed photo on the bed, with the picture of the girl Ash had given his heart to.

Finally, sensing what had gotten his friend so down, Gary sighed, picking up the framed photo and took a seat on the bed. He examined the photo like he had done so many times before. The young teen in the photo was someone he hardly knew now; he had become nothing more than a shell of his former self, a body without a will, a soul with no direction…and Gary couldn't help but wish he had his friend back.

But he couldn't really blame him.

Ash had lost his reason for existing and he continued to blame himself for not being able to save her.

"Ash…it's been ten years…" Gary started, to which Ash only ignored him and walked to his balcony which overlooked the training arena. His eyes followed the new recruits, a few of them taking the time to stop and salute him, as they continued their physical training against one another, their commanding trainer's voice bouncing off of the walls of the gym.

Ash absentmindedly swirled his drink in his hand, letting the condensation trickle down the glass and drip unceremoniously to the ground below. He had heard it all before. She had been gone for ten years, he needed to move on, he needed to cut himself some slack, it wasn't his fault…

But none of them had been there, none of them had sent her to her death…none of them had to bear the brunt of sending his love to an early, watery grave…

Without him even noticing it, Ash's hand had begun to tremble with frustration, the ice jingling within the confines of his still full glass of liquor.

"You need to let her go."

"Don't you think I've tried!" Ash whirled on Gary, eyes flashing in anger. He saw the rare look of shock in his friend's eyes and, all at once, the fight instantaneously left him, leaving him feeling spent and empty. Sighing and running a free hand through his hair, he turned his attention back to the arena, finally taking a long drag from his drink, "Sorry…I didn't mean to snap."

Gary simply nodded and wordlessly walked up to stand next to his friend, resting his arms on the railing and hanging his drink over the edge as he took in the site before him. The site of young children fighting and learning the arts of war was something that always disturbed Gary and it was an aspect that he doubted he would ever get used to. As his eyes scanned the arena floor, he silently wondered how many of these children would live long enough to see adulthood.

"We've all lost something precious to us…loved ones, homes, ambitions…but what do we have left, _but _to fight back?" Gary turned his gaze on his friend and watched his entire demeanor sadden, "We fight for them, to keep their memories alive, to prove to Sabrina that she doesn't rule us, and that we _are_ a force to be reckoned with. _That's_ how we keep those we've lost closest to us," placing a firm hand on Ash's shoulder, Gary resolutely continued, "I know it hurts and I know it feels like it's never going to get easier, but you're never going to heal if you continue to blame yourself for her death."

Ash's gaze faltered only slightly at Gary's words as he continued to stare out into the sea of trainers down below.

His words made sense, but didn't everyone's words make sense at one point or another? They all seemed the same to Ash and, having heard them all before, they all seemed to mesh together to form the same, replicated point. That point being that he had to let go, but letting go meant forgetting and Ash just couldn't do that, not when she had meant the world to him.

Simply to sate Gary more than anything, Ash simply nodded and downed the rest of his drink before stepping back into his quarters and speaking over his shoulder, "We should head to the conference room. I expect Lance will want a full report of what Brock and I witnessed."

And with those words, Ash's form disappeared into his bathroom, likely to put on his Master's robes, leaving Gary to wonder yet again if his words had gotten through or if he was simply talking to thin air.

Twenty minutes later, the two Masters were briskly, yet silently walking through the League's headquarters heading to the conference room where the other gym leaders and Elite Four were sure to be waiting for them. Their capes snapped behind in their wake as people in the hallways quickly shuffled out of their way or saluted them in respect.

Ash's face was hidden amongst the folds of his hood, his face blank and devoid of emotion as Pikachu sat perched comfortably on his master's shoulder. He never missed a beat as the people that milled about in the halls stood back to stare or stammer out some kind of meaningless greeting at the two Masters. A group of new recruits that had been marching down the hallway towards them, likely on their way to a training session, stood to the sides almost robotically, and saluted them silently.

Gary raised a brow at the already well trained recruits and couldn't help but suppress a sigh. As they passed through the throng of soldiers, Gary noticed the yearning looks of longing in the young soldiers eyes as they saluted.

'_They want to be like us,'_ he thought with disdain, keeping his eyes focused on his partner in front of him, _'We're creating monsters.'_

Out of an adjacent hallway up ahead a group of young children shuffled single file across the intersection, led by two young women in matching blue capes holding clipboards that sat comfortably on their hips.

As Ash and Gary neared the intersection, a young girl, probably the youngest and smallest of the group of children, perked up and broke ranks, running up to Ash's form and clinging onto his legs, hugging him for all he was worth and causing him to stumble in surprise. Gary allowed himself a tiny smile.

"Ash, I've been looking everywhere for you!" exclaimed the little girl, as she continued to cling to Ash's legs, "Why didn't you come visit me like you always do? Did I do something wrong?" and at this, the little girl looked up and her bright blue confused eyes met those of Ash's deep brown ones. She had long brown hair, tied messily up into a loose ponytail down her back with strands of longer bangs covering her slightly smudged cheeks. Her pale cheeks were almost as porcelain as a doll's, if not for the scar that ran down the length of her right cheek, starting just above her eye and ending just above her jaw line. The freshly made scar stretched out her cheeks and, Ash knew, made many of the kids want to avoid her for fear or for simply not understanding what she had gone through.

The little 7 year old girl, named Taylor, had been a citizen of Cerulean City before Sabrina had completely leveled the town just a few months prior. While Gary and Ash had been combing through the debris searching for survivors, both boys had been caught off guard as a hailstorm of rocks assaulted them from above. Taylor, who had effectively perched herself in a tree next to her destroyed home, had started the onslaught, thinking Ash and Gary a part of Sabrina's forces and not wanting to go down without a fight.

After some coaxing from the two Masters, they convinced her that they were with the League and there to help. Upon closer inspection, the boys found that she had not escaped unscathed as a partially healed gash that stretched the length of her young face caused them to pause and question its origin. Apparently, she had been attacked by one of Sabrina's soldier's psychic attacks, lancing her face with a terrible slash and bringing her face to face with almost certain death. Only the help of a good samaritan, her family's neighbor, who had caused a distraction and attacked the soldier, had given Taylor enough time to flee. It turned out that Taylor's parents and older brother had been killed while trying to defend their city, even going so far as to protect the abandoned Cerulean City gym, which had been such a prominent and well-known structure situated in the center of the metropolis. Her family had always believed that their long lost gym leaders would someday return to their hometown and save them from the horrors that Sabrina was exacting on the region. It was Ash, however, that had to break to the little girl that the gym leaders were gone and never coming back.

However harshly he may have explained the gym leader's possible demise, it never seemed to faze the girl and she accepted the news with the grace and calm of someone well beyond her years. And ever since that day, the girl had been glued to Ash's side, bringing out a softness to the Master that his friends thought a thing of the past.

"Tay, what in the world are you doing?!" reprimanded one of the women sternly. The young woman, aged 25, had dark brown hair held out of her face with a blue headband and sported dark blue robes that clung to her slender frame as she marched herself over and placed her hands on her hips, "Master Ketchum is extremely busy and he doesn't have time for y-"

"It's okay May," Ash nodded as May sighed at her longtime friend and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Ash knelt down to the little girl's level and placed a hand on her cheek, causing a little giggle to bubble out of her mouth, "Of course you didn't do anything wrong. I've just been very busy with work, that's all. When I have a spare moment, I promise we'll hang out, okay?"

The little girl simply nodded and thrust her pinky in front of Ash, "You promise?"

Ash couldn't help but smile at her innocence and nodded, grasping her pinky finger with his own, "I promise. For now though, you need to go with May and Dawn and listen to them, okay? And maybe, if you're good, I'll bring Pikachu with me too," Pikachu gave a squeak of content and Ash couldn't miss the gleam of excitement in Tay's eyes as she hurriedly nodded her head, her brown locks flailing about, "Now go on back to Dawn and the other children and I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay!" she exclaimed, giving Ash a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before scurrying back to her spot amongst the children.

"Sorry about that Ash," sighed May, as she turned to look at the awaiting children and the little girl who had just rejoined them, "She can be a little rambunctious when she wants to be."

"It's alright," he muttered, standing up to his full height and keeping his eyes on the little girl as she attempted to start up a conversation with a boy standing in front of her, "I haven't been around much lately, so I can't blame her. I'm all she has left."

May sighed again and turned back to the two Masters, "I heard about Pewter too, tell Brock Drew and I send our condolences."

"Where is Drew anyway?" asked Gary, placing his hands on his hips.

"He's off training the intermediate troops in the gym," she said with a nonchalant flick of her wrist.

Since the wars had started, both May and Drew had immediately found themselves swept up into the action as Sabrina's forces continued to expand into their home region of Hoenn. Even as their region's gym leaders and Elite Four prepared to fight the threat, May and Drew felt a longing to help Ash, knowing that he was likely caught in the middle and knowing that in some way or another he would need their help. Even May's father, rightful gym leader of the Petalburg gym felt their aid was most needed in the Kanto region, as that is where Sabrina's forces had hit the hardest.

Though May was no Master, she, in her own right, had garnered much respect in bringing her knowledge about the various healing berries to the League's aid, saving many soldiers and pokemon from almost certain death. She had also volunteered her time teaching the younger children, most of whom had lost parents to the war and were too young to begin training, about the fine arts of berry mixing and pokemon battling. Though the children were too young to handle the pokemon effectively, they were allowed the chance to interact, play, and learn from them, many of which had joined the resistance after the wars had begun. Though May loved what she did, she oftentimes felt homesick and longed for her own region, her family's gym, and the rolling hills that surrounded her quaint town of Petalburg.

But she could never see herself going back, at least not until the wars were done.

As for Drew, he had brought his battle prowess and strategic planning skills to the table and was in charge of training many of the novice and intermediate training groups in hand to hand combat, pokemon battling, and weapons training. When he had first heard May was heading to the Kanto region, he knew he couldn't let her go alone. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he had fallen hard for the younger ex-coordinator and couldn't imagine a life without her and knew he'd be damned if she was in danger and he wasn't there to protect her. So he had followed her head-on and was recruited by the League, but not before spilling his guts in a very Drew-like sort of way, especially since the future was uncertain and he knew that joining the League would inevitably place them on Sabrina's hit list.

Knowing this, Drew knew that he couldn't join until he told May how he felt and, to his utter surprise, she had felt the same. They were in this war together and knew that they would live it out and someday return to their home region hand in hand.

"He said something about the new recruits being too fresh or something like that," May continued, rolling her eyes though she couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips at the thought of her boyfriend's pet peeves.

"Tell him to suck it up," Gary joked, knowing full well Drew's limited patience when it came to training the newer recruits.

Though Gary and Drew had had limited contact and knowledge of one another during Ash's journey throughout the various regions, they actually got on quite well when they had first met and had a way of balancing each other out. With Gary's easy going attitude and Drew's serious demeanor, they seemed to complement each other quite well.

It was something that May never truly seemed to understand, "I'll be sure to let him know."

Just then, Ash cleared his throat, motioning for Gary to follow him and briskly walked off, without so much as a departing greeting in May's direction. May simply folded her arms in front of her and shrugged, sharing a glance with Gary who could only look back at the younger girl and shake his head. With a look of apology in May's direction, Gary quickly followed his partner down the hall.

Dawn gave a quick wave at Ash's vanishing figure as he swept down the hallway, her gaze following her friend's dark form as he headed in the direction of the conference room, Gary trailing with an apologetic gaze.

* * *

"My deepest condolences to your hometown and gym, Master Slate," Lance, head of the Elite Four, sat at the top of a landing amidst his colleagues, whom were situated on either side of him. His cape swirled about him as he stood to bow to Brock's despondent form, "We have lost yet another great city to Sabrina's greed and terror. May we soon be able to find peace in this war."

At his words, the other members, Agatha, Bruno, and Lorelei, stood and bowed as well, following their leader's actions without hesitation.

The conference room they had all filed into was designed much like the rest of the League's base. Stark white walls enclosed the large space with white tiles lining the immaculate floors. At the far end of the room sat the Elite Four atop their landing, sitting higher than the other Masters and leaving none to wonder who were truly in charge. Large framed art lined both walls, their forms depicting that of the eight once prestigious gyms that dotted the Kanto region in all their former glory, before the wars had begun. On the back wall, behind where the Elite convened, was a large portrait of the Indigo Plateau as it once was many years ago, when trainers would come to challenge the top four trainers in the region in the hopes of becoming the Pokemon Master of the Kanto region.

Tracey Sketchit, now a fully trained researcher himself, partner of the famed Professor Oak, and mentor to Max Maple of Petalburg City, had painted the portraits and donated them to the League, if only so they would all remember why they were fighting and give them all hope in one day reclaiming and rebuilding the gyms to their former glory.

The remaining gym leaders, namely Erica, Blaine, and Janine, were situated on a lower level surrounding the Elite Four on either side, their faces somber and void of all emotion, saddened by the loss of yet another of their colleague's gyms. Throughout the entirety of the war, the remaining gym leaders stood as symbols for the people of the Kanto region, giving them hope and allowing them to believe that this war had an end in sight. Even though their numbers had considerably dwindled since the start of the war, their combined strength and intelligence gave the League's operations a substantial boost.

Other faces in the room included Norman and Caroline Maple of the Petalburg gym, who had decided that the Kanto region needed as much help as they could garner and had decided to join the fight against Sabrina. After May and Max had effectively joined the resistance, the couple couldn't find it in themselves to just do nothing, even if their own region remained relatively untouched by Sabrina's terror. The Elite Four of the Hoenn region had made it clear that any and all help would be given to the Kanto region, however, they would not force their citizens to enter a war they were not prepared to fight and, instead, encouraged its citizens to join the resistance only under the pretense that they finish it through to the end. The Sinnoh region had similar reservations about the war, knowing all too well that things could quickly spiral out of control and Sabrina's forces could very well enter into other territories, including the nearby regions of both Hoenn and Sinnoh.

The Johto region however, being much closer than both Hoenn and Sinnoh, had sent reinforcements to the aid of Kanto, aiding their forces in pushing back Sabrina's threat away from their boundaries. Since the Elite Four of the Johto region consisted primarily of the Kanto region Elite Four, Lance had opted to leave Will and Karen in control while he and Bruno handled the affairs in Kanto. He had also taken half of the willing gym leaders of the Johto region, namely his cousin Clair of the Blackthorn City gym, Morty of the Ecruteak City gym, Bugsy of the Azalea Town gym, and Falkner of the Violet City gym in order to use their combined strengths against Sabrina to their distinct advantage. He had left Whitney, Pryce, Jasmine, and Chuck to protect the people of Johto in the case that Kanto had failed in restraining Sabrina's threat.

The Orange Crew, also deciding that they wanted to help in the war efforts, had opted to send Danny and Rudy, both of whom would be led by Drake, leader of the Orange Crew, while its other gym leaders, Cissy and Luana, would remain behind to tend to the people of the Orange Islands. Because of the recent threat, all transport to and from the islands had been halted until further notice.

All of the gym leaders from the various regions stood at attention in their respective groups, looking up to the Kanto Elite Four and Kanto gym leaders with a renewed respect and sympathy for their fellow region.

"Pewter was a rock among cities and we may never see another one of its kind again," commented Agatha, breaking the silence as she leaned both gnarled hands against her twisted, wooden cane and lowered her gaze in respect, her light grey cloak falling in folds beside her frail form.

"It is truly a tragedy," said Bruno, his towering form a stark contrast to the other, smaller members of the Elite Four, as he folded his massive arms in front of himself.

"You have our condolences as well," added Lorelei, her icy blue cloak billowing behind her as she looked to her colleagues, "We have all lost things dear to us during this war, some more than others, but we will continue to fight lest we allow ourselves to be beaten by Sabrina's evil."

Brock turned to each of the members and nodded in understanding, meeting each of their eyes and accepting their kind words of respect and sympathy over his lost home, "I thank you for your kind words," it was all Brock had the energy to say, for the day's activities had left him feeling spent and empty. But this seemed to be enough for the Elite Four and they nodded before retaking their seats, all except for Lance who seemed to want to say more.

"We know how hard this loss must hit you Master Slate, as we all well know the heartache and loss you and Master Ketchum have suffered as a result of this war. With the combined strengths of our friends from our neighboring regions, it is our hope that one day we can find peace and feel that we have somehow avenged those lost to this war, although it will never bring them back…" Lance spoke softly, but exuded a calm confidence that had earned him much respect over the years. He turned his gaze to each of the individuals lining the room, almost as if seeing them for the first time…seeing and accepting how much their aid had helped and allowed them to stand a ghost of a chance against Sabrina's might. He allowed just a small smile to crease the corners of his lips before landing his gaze back on Brock, "Ending this war would be an honor to their memory."

Brock bowed in respect, appreciating Lance's warm words and immediately feeling the warmth of those in the room, even those he didn't know as well, namely Danny, Rudy, and Drake of the Orange Crew, as they too bowed in respect of their friends. Looking around, Brock could clearly feel every eye in the room trained on him and, almost immediately, he wished Ash were with him.

"Speaking of Master Ketchum, where exactly _is_ he?" asked Drake, crossing his arms and scanning the room as if he had missed something.

Just then, the doors of the conference hall swung open to reveal both Gary and Ash, as if on cue. Without missing a beat, Ash quickly swept to one side of the hall to stand next to the Johto region gym leaders, his hood still pulled firmly over his features as Gary gave his friend a sidelong glance before heading to the opposite side of the room next to the three members of the Orange Crew. Gary tossed Lance an apologetic look, simultaneously thinking that he had been doing that a lot lately. The dragon master only gave an understanding nod in response.

"Master Ketchum, Master Oak… Master Slate just finished giving his report on the damage of Pewter City and mentioned the rescue of an elderly couple?" when both Gary and Ash nodded at this, Lance continued, "Thank goodness for little miracles like this," was all he said before resuming his seat among his colleagues.

"This meeting is adjourned," announced Agatha, tapping her cane several times on the ground as if to make a point.

Chatter quickly began as other Masters, gym leaders, and three members of the Elite Four fled the room, talking amongst themselves about this and that. Ash, who had been standing off to the side, quickly spun and headed for the doors, Gary following suit.

"Master Ketchum, Master Oak…if you would be so kind as to stay behind a moment," came Lance's calm voice.

Both boys turned, neither the least surprised in being asked to stay, as it was oftentimes the norm for Lance to ask special tasks of them. Watching the last bit of people trickle out of the room and hearing the definitive slam of the doors, Lance stood once more and motioned for the figure standing just below him, an elderly man cloaked in a red cape.

"Master Blaine has some information for us about Sabrina's assassin and about the ten spies that we sent out yesterday who had failed to return," explained Lance, effectively giving the floor to the former Cinnabar gym leader.

Blaine folded his arms within his cloak and eyed the two boys with something akin to disdain. It was no secret that, since the wars had begun, Blaine trusted no one willingly anymore, especially after the destruction of his gym and slaughter of his people. He never liked the fact that Gary and Ash, two wayward boys from some nowhere city called Pallet, would be risen to Master status so quickly, even if the two _had _proved themselves in pokemon battling in their younger years. It had rubbed the fire master the wrong way and made all his accomplishments seem nil. They had been mere teenagers when all this had started, after all! Lance's only reasoning for allowing them to hang around being Ash's inevitable ability to draw legendary pokemon to him, being titled the 'Chosen One,' and effectively bringing the peace wherever he went. But those days were long gone! These were different times they were living in, no mere child's play and Blaine could never understand his Master's reasoning for allowing them to perform the League's most precious of tasks.

"Master Blaine, if you would be so kind," started Lance, sensing the older Master's hesitation.

Blaine simply scoffed, "Arcanine and I were out patrolling the woods just within the boundaries of Route 22, closest to Viridian's city limits and found that group of spies we sent out yesterday."

"I take it none were left alive?" Gary asked seriously.

Blaine flared up, "Of course none were left alive!" Clenching his fists in anger and remembering the scene he had encountered mere hours ago caused his blood to boil even further, "It's that damned assassin Sabrina has working for her! Doing all that bitch's dirty work without a shred of mercy for the people he's killing! It was a fucking bloodbath!"

Gary grunted in disgust, while Ash remained stoic as ever, his hand coming up to pet Pikachu's bristled fur, his eyes flickering over to Lance's in anticipation. He could see the strain in the red-haired Master's eyes and felt a flicker of guilt for his long time friend.

Lance ran a hand through his spiked hair and sighed, "We can't allow this to continue any longer. He must be stopped or more people will die," he said, his gaze coming to rest on the two younger Masters before him, "Ash, Gary…I'm sending the two of you out to track down the assassin and bring him here alive."

"Are you insane?!" yelled Blaine, throwing an accusing finger in Lance's direction, "You can't send them out there and expect them to bring in Sabrina's assassin by themselves!"

"Oh, Blaine, I didn't know you cared," mocked Gary, as the fire Master turned his angered gaze on the younger Master.

"Fine! Go and get yourselves killed!" he shouted back, throwing his cape behind him and storming out of the conference hall, slamming the door behind him, the echo of the slam reverberating within the hall.

Lance sighed again, "Forgive him, he's a little stressed."

"Aren't we all?" muttered Gary, rolling his eyes in the wake of Blaine's outburst, "So when do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," Lance answered, "I want you to find the assassin, apprehend him using Professor Oak's device, and bring him in alive for questioning, but if things go sour, get yourselves out. He was able to take out ten well-trained troops without so much as batting an eye, I don't need to add you two to the casualty list as well."

"Will do," Gary saluted, giving the Master a wry grin.

Lance's gaze hardened further, "I'm serious about this one Gary. He's extremely dangerous and I don't need my top agents getting themselves killed because they underestimated the enemy. Do I make myself clear?"

Gary sighed and folded his arms within his cloak, "Crystal. Where do you want us to start looking?"

"Search Viridian's ruins first, see if you can find a lead and then move from there. I want a full report by the end of the day on what you've found. If the assassin hasn't engaged you by day's end, come back to base and regroup, but I have a feeling it won't come to that," Lance explained, turning around abruptly and facing the large portrait of what had once been Indigo Plateau, "I have no doubt the assassin will find you first. Please be careful, the both of you," he finished turning back around and giving both boys the once over, "It's extremely important to the well being of our operations that this assassin be brought to justice. If caught, we may be able to find out what Sabrina is planning and infiltrate her base once and for all."

"You assume this assassin will talk," responded Ash darkly.

Lance gave a sigh and hardened his gaze, "He'll talk if he knows what's good for him."

"So, we torture him until he talks?" asked Gary with a tone akin to disdain. Though he knew this assassin probably deserved it, Gary never approved of torturing their prisoners, no matter how much they had killed, tortured, or destroyed themselves. It was too primitive a tactic for him and it was something he would never be comfortable with.

Lance didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes all the same.

Ash and Gary nodded to him and, without another word, left the room to prepare their teams and sort through their affairs before being sent into the unknown.

* * *

"P-Please M-Master Sabrina!"

"You impudent little fool!"

Sabrina's eyes glowed an angry purple, the man in question trembling before her, his hands grasping at his own neck, trying in a vain attempt to loosen the hold on his airways as his feet dangled uselessly, his body hovering several feet above the ground.

They were in Sabrina's base of operations, her own hometown of Saffron City being completely transformed into a multi-tiered base for those willing to fight for her cause and her wish of having a utopia filled with nothing but psychics in her attempt to rule the land, starting with the Kanto region.

They were currently in Sabrina's throne room, her chair situated on a higher platform near the back of the room. Shiny, cold steel walls lined the room and black tiles lined the floors, giving the room an even darker, foreboding look. Troops lined the room on either side, unmoving and unflinching in their obedience and probable fear of their leader and master as one of their own, a troop lieutenant, pleaded for his life amidst his own men.

"How could you let those stupid league bastards show you up in Viridian! They're nothing but amateurs! Incompetents!" screamed Sabrina, her psychic hold on the man's neck tightening with each word.

"P-P-Please…!" the man sputtered, his lips turning a dark shade of blue as his airways remained constricted, his legs continuing to kick in a failed attempt to gain leverage on the ground.

Sabrina stood from her seat, walking methodically down the steps of her throne, her eyes still glowing, "I shouldn't have to send my assassin out to clean up your failed work. Her work lies with killing top league agents and sweeping through the towns at my command!" Sabrina turned her head slightly, nodding to the stoic, black cloaked figure standing vigil beside her throne, features obscured by a dark hood, "Isn't that right, my pet?"

No response was given, but Sabrina seemed sated all the same, turning her eyes away from her loyal servant back to the scared, sniveling incompetent in front of her.

"M-Master Sabrina…" he croaked, his breathing getting more shallow by the second.

Sabrina smiled sweetly at the dying man before her, the glow in her eyes receding a bit, "Ah yes, my dear lieutenant. What to do with you, I wonder? What punishment would be enough for your failures and provide me with the satisfaction of knowing that this little mishap will never happen again?"

Slowly, the invisible fingers that had wrapped themselves around the lieutenant's neck seemed to ease, allowing the man to catch his breath, his eyes showing an ounce of relief. Seeing this brief reprieve, Sabrina's smile turned into a scowl, eyes glowing brightly once more as she raised her arm above her head and quickly made a slashing movement downwards. Simultaneously, a slashing arc of purple energy formed in front of the trembling man and cut cleanly through his neck, his eyes showing a brief bout of shock before his head and body dropped with a thud, blood spilling onto the ground as the lieutenant's head rolled to a stop.

"I will not tolerate incompetence!" screamed Sabrina to her troops as she stalked among their ranks, purple sparks of energy arcing between her fingertips, "_This_ is what happens when you fail my cause!" and she motioned to the lifeless body on the ground, blood still seeping out of the orifice where the head used to be, "I hope I've made myself clear. Now, get rid of this eyesore."

At her command, several of her troops broke ranks and gathered their former lieutenant's remains and left the hall to dispose of the corpse.

Sabrina glided her way back to the top of her throne, her eyes turning towards the assassin standing stoically to her right, "Now, it seems our friends at the Indigo Plateau mean to spy on us and infiltrate our base of operations. Head back to Viridian and kill any and all top agents you find. They'll likely be searching for the remains of that group of spies they sent out earlier. Head them off and destroy them."

Without a word, the assassin bowed low to her master, a light jingling heard from the various throwing knives, swords, and other weapons strapped to her person. As she bowed in response, a confident set of footsteps could be heard approaching the bottom of the steps and stopping just shy of the first step. The assassin's cold azure eyes met the young man's arrogant smile as he stood at the foot of the throne, bowing low and throwing his cape behind him as he waited to be acknowledged.

Sabrina managed a seductive smile in the young man's direction, nodding to him, "Ah, Captain, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Coming out of his bow, the young man straightened to his full height, his black hair slicked back and pulled into a light ponytail, his lean, yet muscular frame accentuated by the fitted black robes that he wore along with the blood red cape and hood that finished his look. Though he was pleasing to the eye, his chiseled looks, hazel colored eyes, and easy smile couldn't hide the fact that he exuded confidence, arrogance, and evil.

"My Master, we've combed through the ruins of Pewter as requested and found no survivors, save for some wild, crazed pokemon on the outskirts of town," the young man explained, his voice strong and echoing throughout the throne room.

"Excellent work Captain Damien," she smiled, making her way down the steps once more, motioning for her assassin to follow her, "I knew I could count on you."

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Damien took hold of Sabrina's hand and gently kissed its surface, letting his lips linger slightly longer than intended, causing another seductive smile to light up Sabrina's features, "Anything to make you and your assassin's job easier," he smiled, dropping Sabrina's hand and turning to the assassin standing to her immediate right, "I'm sure she has more important tasks to deal with anyway," he murmured, bringing a hand up to gently caress the cheek of the assassin, hidden away within the folds of her cloak.

Quick as lightening, a hand flew up, catching Damien's wrist and squeezing it threateningly. Damien only grinned suavely, unfazed by this sudden turn of events and shook his hand free of the grasp that threatened to tear his hand from his forearm.

"She doesn't like it when you touch her, Damien," smiled Sabrina, chancing a glance over at her loyal servant, "You should know that by now."

Damien only smirked and mock bowed, "Of course, my apologies assassin."

The young girl merely took a step back, hiding her face further within the confines of her black hood, her bright blue eyes boring threateningly into Damien's confident hazel ones.

"In any case, I have planning to do in preparation for pushing our forces further into league territory. I have no doubts we'll soon be able to infiltrate their base. In the meantime, I'll be back with any reports and information I can find," he bowed again before turning to his troops and commanding them out of the hall, their feet resounding as one as they marched out of the hall and out of sight.

Sabrina turned to the girl to her right, "I believe you have some preparing of your own to do. Gather your weapons and prepare yourself to leave first thing in the morning. I want a full report of what those league scum are up to."

Without a word, the assassin bowed low and proceeded to leave the hall.

"Oh, and Misty?"

At this, the young girl stopped, listening for further instruction.

"Don't fail me."

_To be continued…_

A/N: I hope I've cleared up what the other regions are doing in response to Sabrina'a attacks. I didn't really want to include the other, newer regions since I don't know too much about them. Adding just Sinnoh was a bit of a stretch for me. Most of the gym leaders from the other regions I've mentioned probably won't play major roles in the plot; I only mentioned them for the sake of including the other regions, since someone asked about it. My loyalty typically lies with the original series (Kanto, Orange, Johto). Also, I haven't seen a whole lot of D/P episodes so I'm just going off of what I've seen as far as Dawn's personality. I'm a little more familiar with Drew and May and will be including them a little bit more, since I'm a bit of a Contestshipper. Anyways, reviews welcome!


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